Saturday, September 14, 2013

Marcus Mariota Surges to Front of Heisman Race with Monster ...

By Sparkle-C | Published: September 14, 2013

Despite brilliant games from high-profile quarterbacks across the nation, it is Marcus Mariota who currently sits atop the Heisman watch-list.

The versatile Oregon QB was excellent on Saturday, shredding the Tennessee Volunteers for 456 passing yards and four touchdowns. He also added a 9-yard rushing touchdown, and he completed 23 of his 33 pass attempts.

Mariota and the Ducks started slow in Week 3, but they settled in toward the end of the first quarter. Oregon got its first touchdown on a 16-yard connection between Mariota and John Mundt, and after that, there was no stopping the Ducks offense.

Oregon finished the game with a ridiculous 687 total yards. More importantly, they got the win, giving Mariota a slight edge over Johnny Manziel in the Heisman race.

Manziel torched Alabama again, but with Texas A&M’s narrow loss, he’s looking up at Mariota for now. If Oregon’s sophomore stud can deliver a similar performance next week against Cal, he can create some more separation between himself and the other early season Heisman contenders.